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Monday, January 4, 2016

Ford Teams up With San Jose High Schools and Boys & Girls Clubs to Boost Local Academic Achievement

Projected to impact 5,000 students in northern California, the Ford
Driving Dreams Tour delivers scholarships and motivational activities to
San Jose students.

Former NASA astronaut Jose Hernandez, a Stockton native, inspires
high school students with his story of resiliency through a 12-year
pursuit of his STEM career.

The Ford Driving Dreams Tour expands to the West Coast and includes middle school students for the first time in the U.S.

SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 27, 2015 – Thousands of students
today learned why completing high school improves their chances for
later success, part of the message delivered by Ford Motor Company’s
innovative Ford Driving Dreams tour at its first-ever stop in northern
California.

Ford Motor Company Fund, the company’s philanthropic arm, kicked off
the Ford Driving Dreams Tour in San Jose at an inspirational pep rally
in Yerba Buena High School. The tour is slated to impact 5,000 northern
California students in schools with high Latino concentrations. Designed
to motivate high school students to complete high school on time and
pursue higher education, the program will also engage middle school
students for the first time in the U.S.

“We are committed to playing an active role in the community, helping
level the playing field for students that want to succeed but lack the
resources to do so,” said Jim Vella, president, Ford Motor Company Fund
and Community Services, at the kick-off event in Yerba Buena High School
today. “With our local efforts through the Ford Driving Dreams Tour and
the Palo Alto Research and Innovation Center, we continue to focus on
education and innovation as our top priorities.”
The Ford Driving Dreams Tour presented a motivational pep rally,
essay contest, and scholarships to high school students in four San Jose
public schools. It is part of a long-term northern California community
investment launched by Ford and its dealers in June.

Former NASA astronaut Jose Hernandez and nationally recognized
empowerment speaker Roy Juarez, Jr., whose powerful story was featured
in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Extraordinary Teens, kicked off the
program at a pep rally at Yerba Buena High School. It will be followed
by motivational rallies at Andrew Hill High School, James Lick High
School, and William C. Overfelt High School. All four schools are part
of the East Side Union High School District. In partnership with the
U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute (USHLI), the California Tour will
have impacted 4,000 high school students and 1,000 middle school
students.

To underscore the importance of STEM careers, former NASA astronaut
Jose Hernandez spoke to the high school students, inspiring the youth to
develop an indomitable spirit when pursuing their dreams. A Stockton
native, Hernandez experienced spaceflight in a NASA mission and spent 13
days in orbit.

“I first got my dream as I hoed a row of sugar beets in a California
field with my parents,” said former NASA astronaut Jose Hernandez. “It
took 12 tries to achieve my dream of becoming an astronaut. I am proof
that with a good education, solid work ethic, and the right resources,
any student’s dream – a dream that others may turn down the first 11
times – becomes a goal that can be fulfilled.”
In partnership with local Boys & Girls Clubs, approximately 1,000
students from local middle schools will participate in an essay contest
which encourages them to reflect on their studies and future careers.
The essay contest will be open to the middle school students that attend
the Boys & Girls Clubs of Silicon Valley, Fresno County, Marin and
Southern Sonoma Counties, Monterey County, and Greater Sacramento.
Prizes include gift cards and iPads.

The Ford Driving Dreams Tour was designed by Ford Motor Company Fund
to help Latino youth graduate on time and pursue higher education.
Launched in 2012, the program has reached more than 30,000 students in
Chicago, Indiana, Florida, Texas, and, most recently, Panama. Ford
Driving Dreams initiatives, including the Tour, have delivered more than
$3 million in educational resources such as scholarships, college
preparedness, tutoring programs, parental engagement, and motivational
activities.

The $1 million investment in northern California includes education
and community programs. This investment is part of Ford Fund’s Operation
Better World initiative. Launched in 2008, the Operation Better World
framework enables Ford Fund dealers and other groups to collaborate on a
strategic approach to philanthropy and more effectively meet community
needs. Ford’s latest investments in northern California brings the total
community investment amount to more than $4.5 million over the last 10
years.

Ford Motor Company Fund, the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company,
invests more than $8 million a year in scholarships and other education
initiatives. In addition to Ford Driving Dreams, Ford Fund educational
programs include Ford Blue Oval Scholars, Ford Next Generation Learning,
Ford College Community Challenge and the Ford STEAM Lab.

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based
in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six
continents. With about 197,000 employees and 67 plants worldwide, the
company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company
provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more
information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.

About Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services

Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services works with
community and global partners to advance driving safety, education and
community life. Ford Motor Company Fund has operated for more than 65
years with ongoing funding from Ford Motor Company. Ford Driving Skills
for Life is free, interactive, hands-on safety training focused on skill
development and driving techniques, while addressing inexperience,
distractions and impaired driving. Innovation in education is
encouraged through Ford Blue Oval Scholars, Ford Next Generation
Learning and other inspiring programs that enhance high school learning
and provide college scholarships and university grants. The Ford
Volunteer Corps enlists more than 30,000 Ford employees and retirees
each year to work on local projects that strengthen their communities
and improve people’s lives in more than 40 countries around the world.
For more information, visit http://community.ford.com.